Volkswagen Up (2012 - 2023) 1.0 Up Black 3d Owner Review

I didn't plan on changing the car right now as I was waiting for the longer range Ioniq EV to arrive later this year. However, the sudden and impending death of the turbo in my diesel forced my hand. Settling on buying a stop-gap car, a visit to a friend at the VW dealership followed by a test drive and the offer of a superb trade-in deal on my sickly car meant that this was too good an opportunity to miss. There's a nice kind of growly engine note from its fairly lusty 3 cylinder powerplant and the 74 ish BHP on tap is pretty good since it only weighs a tiny bit more than a bag of crisps. Handling is rather good on the 16-inch alloys, giving a better ride than many a bigger car, soaking up the lumps and bumps of our less than billiard table smooth roads with some ease. Steering is light, precise and isn't lacking in feel on this one as opposed to the car Parkers reviewed. As you would expect from a VW, the interior quality is rather good and is worth the extra few quid over the somewhat low rent, dour interiors of its VAG siblings. There are a couple of minor grumbles, however... - Having a lever as opposed to a wheel to adjust the seat back just so VW could save a couple of Euros on the build price is rather annoying. - Steering wheel adjustment is for rake only, more interference from the accountants no doubt. and - It seems as though there is no through-flow of air via the ventilation system if the fan is switched off, so you have to keep it running. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised at how good it really is and how far small cars have progressed over the years. If you're looking for a second car or just a classy little runaround, you would be doing yourself a favour by picking the VW Up.